Chapter 9
CAPTAIN 'BLACK CAGE' HINA
Being a Marine meant that one had to be a symbol of respect and dignity for the people, and a symbol of fear for the pirates. Hina had joined the Marines to be that symbol, and given that she was amongst the few in her generation blessed with the powers of a Devil Fruit, she had thought that getting through the academy would be easy for her.
Yet all devil fruits were not created equal, and while she had a paramecia Fruit, powerful in its own right, the academy had another prodigy with a Logia Devil Fruit, the very kind that was possessed by the three current Admirals.
So, she had been content being second to a person such as this, but that all changed when he arrived.
A young recruit who had joined the Marines as an apprentice to the most celebrated Marine of their time, the Hero Garp. He was young, and for much of the time had made them all believe that he had no Devil fruit powers, but the truth was something far uglier.
He had a Devil Fruit, a paramecia just like hers. Yet he was able to rise to the top of the academy within months, without needing to use his fruit.
Bartolomeo the cannibal, or as he liked to refer to himself as Bartolomeo the Conglomerate, was a marine unlike any other, for he was not just a Marine. No, he had built for himself an empire on the side, one that made him wealthier than they could imagine.
Yet despite his wealth and power, he bickered like a child with Smoker, as she felt her head begin to ache with their constant screams.
"Will the two of you stop fighting like children?" she cut in finally, as they both turned towards her.
"We are not children..."
"We are not children..."
And she smiled as they both turned towards each other, and as different as they were, Smoker and Bartolomeo were quite similar in their childishness.
"Enough!" she cut in again, and they fell silent, turning away from each other.
"It has been more than a year since we have been able to meet up like this," but back at the academy, the three of them were mostly together, edging each other further and further.
"And whose fault is that?" Smoker commented snidely, as he side-eyed Barto.
And though the Marine top brass may have tried to smother any details and information about the entire thing, given Bartolomeo's fame, it was nearly impossible to keep it under wraps.
So, while people remained oblivious to the details, it was well known that he had clashed with one of the Seven Warlords of the Seas and had nearly killed them, an action for which he was punished severely.
"I still stand by my actions," the green-haired captain answered resolutely.
"My only regret is that I did not kill that bastard," by 'that' he was referring to one of the most powerful pirates alive, the Joker Doflamingo Donquixote, head of a major crime family and one of the Warlords of the Seas.
And the table turned silent at these words, for while Barto may act all brash and childish, the truth was that he was one of the kindest people she had met, one who believed in mercy and forgiveness.
And for him to talk about killing must mean that the criminal in question must have done something quite abhorrent.
Even Smoker-kun, for all his brashness, saw through that rage and became quiet.
"You still cannot tell us the details about just what happened?" and though both of them had tried to verify the rumors, the top brass remained committed to keeping the details under wraps.
"No," he answered as Smoker clicked his tongue, before she added in.
"Even though you are a member of SWORD now," and her words seem to catch her friends by surprise, though each one had a different reason for that.
"What?" Smoker-kun asked in sheer surprise, but her eyes remained locked onto the green-haired captain.
"How do you even know about that so quickly?" he asked, and she simply pushed back her bangs and put down her cigarette.
"Hina has a habit of being informed," and his words had just confirmed the news.
"What! You handed in your resignation! What the hell were you thinking?" And Smoker-kun was screaming once more.
"Wasn't this always the plan?" Bartolomeo-kun asked, silencing Smoker, as the brash friend of hers became quiet. And indeed, this was the pact that three of them had made while they were at the academy.
It was their naive dream, one she had been roped into, where they planned on taking down the yonkos.
And as much as the Navy detested the Yonkos, the truth was that it loved the status quo more, and would never allow three young captains to go after an 'Emperor', but if you were a member of 'SWORD' then you were free to do as you wished, fearing no consequences.
"Yeah," Smoker nodded, as he chewed on his cigar.
"But we three were supposed to do it together," and they had set a time for when they would do it, because the truth was that taking down a Yonko and their would be impossible even with an army of Logia Fruit users, for while Devil Fruit powers allowed one to reign supreme in the regular Seas.
On the grand line, the only power that mattered was Haki, and without a mastery over it, taking down a Yonko, let alone their captains, was a pipe dream.
So, the three of them had made a pact that they would work as Marines, and slog along until they had mastered Armament and Observation Haki, and then they would team up to bring down a Yonko.
"So that means you have finally mastered it?" she asked, for the insinuation was clear.
"Yup!" he replied proudly, and he had always been ahead of them when it came to Haki, though he lacked for talent when it came to Observation Haki, it seems like the other rumor about him was true as well.
"So, it is true that for your punishment, you scrubbed the floors with a blindfold," and he nodded.
"What? Why the hell would you do that?" Smoker-kun asked.
"Well, as Garp-sensei would say, there is no better teacher than a fist to the head," and he laughed as if it was normal.
"I think I broke my skull a dozen times in the first month, because of all the hitting and the falling," and she shook her head.
"You are an idiot," and he was, but once again, he was ahead of them.
She could see the fire in Smoker's eyes as he realised that.
"Don't get cocky. Soon enough, I will beat you to a pulp," and their rivalry ran strong, but Barto simply shrugged.
"You will first have to get through her first," and she hated being roped into it.
"We both know that she has more talent in Haki than you," and she did, but she was not a freak of nature like the two boys in front of her.
"Hina has no care for your games."
"Will you ever start talking like a normal person?" screamed Smoker, attacking her for her habits, but she did not pay it any heed.
"So you are heading to Alabasta?" and with the removal of that damned corrupt Nezumi, the three of them were the main Marine force stations in East Blue, and Alabasta was turning into quite a headache.
"Yeah," answered Barto, and she wondered what the top-brass, was thinking.
"You do know that there is another warlord there?" and he nodded.
"What is it with you and the warlords?" added Smoker-kun, and indeed, for some reason, Bartolomeo-kun had quite a nasty habit of catching the eye of those misfits, and she herself wondered the reason for this coincidence.
"First you have that damn woman chasing after you, then you fight that fishman, your name itself makes people think that you are somehow related to one, Doflamingo and you nearly kill one another and now you are heading to Alabasta to meet up with another," and indeed it was true.
"So, I just need to meet Mihawk and Moria to complete the set," and the answer irked Smoker, who screamed.
"It's not a mission damn it!" and it was not, but Barto seemed to take it as one.
"Still, do you have any idea how many times the Kuja Empress visited this part of the Sea?" she asked, and each time dealing with her was a headache, for the woman was somehow aware of her friendship with Barto and would question her about his whereabouts.
"Well, I will deal with her later," and he acted as if he were talking about a common criminal, and not one of the most feared pirates on the Sea.
"Still, Straw Hat was headed towards Alabasta as well, and then there is the second Division commander of the White Beard pirates roaming around the area as well," which made this entire thing far more complicated.
"Hina thinks that you should be very careful on Alabasta," and he nodded.
"I will be fine," though her information caught Smoker's interest as well.
"Still, since I am going to Alabasta, what about the two of you?"
"What is your next mission?" Their mission was a bit more complicated than his.
"Well, we are being sent to investigate a rather troubling matter. In the far east, there are reports of entire islands having gone missing, and the Navy wants us to investigate that," and the mission was deemed both important and dangerous enough that they were sending two of their most prized captains, in her and Smoker.
"Entire islands, huh?" Bartolomeo frowned as he heard that and began to rub his chin.
"I would be very careful about this one," and there it was, all it had taken from her were a few words for him to form a few theories.
"Why? It could just be rumors? I cannot imagine a power that could vanish or erase islands like this," she asked, because the thought of entire islands going missing seemed ridiculous, especially in this part of the Seas.
"I can," and he was being plenty serious.
"The seas are wide, and I can think of a dozen powers that can make islands vanish. So, be careful."
"Don't worry about us! You are the one who causes all the trouble amongst us all three," Smoker0san retorted.
"That's rich coming from you! How many times has Hina had to bail you out of your troubles, you man-chi...!
"ENOUGH!" and the ash tray broke into pieces as she crushed it with her hand, as she eyed the two of them, and so they ate in silence until a worker came and whispered something in his ear, reminding her that the place they were sitting in was owned by Bartolomeo.
"Well, it seems like this is it. I need to head out..." and just as he made to stand, she activated her devil fruit powers as Iron chains emerged around him and chained him into his seat.
"Wait a minute," and he frowned at her words.
"What are you doing, Hina?" he asked, as she rose from her chair.
"Hina wouldn't be able to call herself a friend if she lets you walk out of here looking like that," and he added naively.
"What do you mean?"
"Your hair," she added as she took out the scissors she had made a servant bring her earlier.
"You are looking like a ruffian! Hina will cut them for you..."
.
.
.
And so, a haircut later, Bartolomeo now had a little rough ponytail, as she trimmed away the rough and torn ends.
"Hina is done. You can go now," and his earlier look was an affront to both him and all those associated with him.
"A tail, huh?" he whispered, looking at himself in the mirror.
"I will try it," and with that, he rose up.
"Well, then I will be on my way," and she stopped him again.
"Hina was told that you left your navigator back at HQ again," and Smoker-kun added from the side as he slapped his face.
"Again?" he asked.
"Hina has a spare navigator on my ship in case you ne..."
"NAH! I will be fine on my own..." and with a final wave, he walked away, leaving a disgruntled Smoker behind.
"Why the hell does he do that?" and unlike him, she had a very good idea about his reasons, though she would dare not voice them out, both for his and her safety.
"We should make preparations as well. We need to investigate those vanishing islands..." and her friend and comrade nodded, as he called out to his ensign.
"Tashigi!" he called out, and a blue-haired girl ran forward from the side and saluted.
"Yes, captain!"
"Prepare the crew! We will be leaving with the Black Cage Corps in two hours...."
0000
After leaving his friends, Bartolomeo found himself walking around the halls of the famous 'Taj Mahal', a modern casino brand owned by the Barto Club. The place was unlike any traditional casino, and offered things like slot machines, tabletop games, and some rudimentary video games as well.
But the 'Taj Mahal' was amongst the few of the places they owned, for the Barto Club was also the entity behind the likes of 'MGM Grand' and 'Opal', along with a slew of other businesses that dealt with nearly all basic aspects of life.
There was something about life at sea that attracted people to gambling, and drinks and so the casinos were the initial investment. Through their earnings the Barto Clun had expanded rapidly. Now with the final expansion into the Seabody, he would be entering the second phase of his plan—Consolidation and Domination.
The New World was simply too tumultuous a territory, and the risk-to-reward ratio of expanding to that place was simply too great.
Many had tried to cheat and rob him over the years, but the cheaters had been deterred by Sea Stone bracelets. As for those who had tried to steal from him, he had hunted down each and every one of the offenders himself and brought them to justice.
So, by now, it was a proven fact that attacking any of the establishments under the Barto Club banner would invite the wrath of the famous 'Cannibal'.
It was why as he walked through the floors, the room became tense, as people eyed him warily as he cut through the room and made his way to the back side, where the management sat.
There, he was welcomed by the other pillar of the Club, his second childhood friend.
"Long time no see, Desire," he greeted the red-haired woman who raised a brow as she saw his face.
"You have cut your hair," she asked, and he reached for his trimmed-up hair and nodded.
"Yeah, Hina thought that I looked like a ruffian," and Desire nodded.
"And she was right," and the girl had a walking stick in her hand, as they walked through the Halls.
"I did not know that there was another incident," and she waved it away.
"It was nothing. Just a bunch of small fries trying to stir up some trouble. We can handle such things on our own," and that was good, and as he walked past one of the rooms, he saw a bunch of men chained up there, all of them beaten black and blue within an inch of their lives.
"Is this them?" he asked, and she nodded.
And so he stopped, and began to walk towards them, and saw one of the men look up.
"AHH! We are saved! It's a marin..." but as the light hit his face, the thief's face paled as he realised his mistake.
"It's you! You are the cannibal!" he gasped as he skidded back, and Barto raised a brow.
"You are no hero! You are a criminal! Taking Bribes from the likes of them!" and he spat at him, as Bartolomeo smiled as Desire's face shifted.
"You dare..." but he stopped her as he raised a hand, stopping her.
"You are wrong," he began as he stood in front of the little beaten man.
"I am not a criminal!" and he was not, for in this world, bounty hunting was a legitimate business, and the Desire Group was a bounty hunting legion associated with the Barto Club, and helped protect its assets.
"Then what are you? You are nothing more than a dog barking at their master's directions!" and Desire could no longer hold back, as she hit the man on the face with her stick.
"You tried to rob us without even knowing anything," she asked, as if questioning his competence.
"Desire," he called out, stopping her again.
"I can handle this," and so he leaned down, grabbed the man by the hair, and made him look into his eyes.
"I am not a criminal. I, my dear, am the conglomerate!" and he smiled.
"And you are going to tell me who the hell asked you lot to come after me?" and the way the person stiffed was answer enough for him.
Despite what he had told Desire, he was aware of the dozen or so attempts at robbery that had been made. And though he was happy that they were able to handle things on their own, he was not blind to the person pulling the strings from behind.
"I...I...don't... know... what...you are.... talking about! No one asked us to do anything!" he gasped, and his smile vanished.
"Then does the name Don Quixote Family ring a bell...."
.
.
.
And after that little chore, he found himself in his private room, as one of the cornerstones of his next plan sat in front of him.
"It is good to see you again, Issho..."
0000
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